I must admit, I was very saddened by this piece on the BBC website.
An atheist campaign claiming “There’s probably no God” has been reported to the advertising regulator.
Posters with the slogan appear on 800 buses in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as on the London Underground.
But organisation Christian Voice has complained to the Advertising Standards Authority saying they break rules on substantiation and truthfulness. (read more)
I thought that the posters on the buses were great: they got the question of faith and religion out into the public arena, which is extremely difficult to acheive in the UK. In fact the campaign has been welcomed by a wide range of Christian groups including Theos.
Commenting on the launch of the buses, Director of Theos, Paul Woolley, said:”
We think that the campaign is a great way to get people thinking about God. The posters will encourage people to consider the most important question we will ever face in our lives.
The slogan itself is a great discussion starter. Telling someone “there’s probably no God” is a bit like telling them they’ve probably remembered to lock their door. It creates the doubt that they might not have. (read more)
In a post Christian society like ours, we should welcome any opportunity to provoke dialogue about the claims of Christianity. An absolute, exclusivist presentation of Christianity is not likely to win any friends. This is not about watering down the Gospel or any such nonsense, but it is about presenting the Gospel in a way which is appropriate to our cultural context. Having people talk about atheism is a great way to allow us to talk about Christ. If we force the atheists to shut up, then we should not be surprised if we find our voice goes unheard too.
6 replies on “Don’t Stop the Bus”
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The bus stops here…
I too was disappointed when I heard this on Radio 4. I can’t see anywhere to comment on Christian Voice’s site, and I can’t see any explanation of their strategic reason for raising the complaint (only the press release that gives the formal / public reason).
On reflection, it raises the profile of the discussion a bit further – bringing it to radio, not just those who live where these buses go. It might get to discussion at work some time!
I think that says all you need to know about CV’s approach to dialogue.
Interesting.
Those who would prevent dialogue are always causing more harm than good. I think they are motivated by fear.
Personally I think it’d be much more interesting if the advert was taken to the ASA over the 2nd part of the tagline. The claim that Christianity leads to increased worry and lower levels of happiness is directly contradicted by the evidence, and it would be brilliant to see that upheld in court.
Otherwise the ‘probably’ bit just makes it sound like a badly-done Alpha ad, and the timing – telling people ‘don’t worry and enjoy life’ in the middle of a horrendous recession – makes some of the crass Christian advertising almost forgiveable. But only almost.